National Assembly Energy Committee David Gikaria (R) with member Elisha Odhiambo during their meeting with Safari link at Continental House, Nairobi. [Boniface Okendo/Standard] Participants at the meeting
The State government is committed to allaying fear of people around Kundankulam before commissioning the nuclear power plant, said R.Vaithilingam, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, here on Sunday. At the inauguration of a government exhibition here Mr.Vaithilingam said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had allotted Rs.500 crore for taking up welfare measures and development works in Kudankulam for the benefit of people living there. Two expert committees – one appointed by the Central government and another appointed by the State government – had declared the plant safe after which the government went ahead with it. He said the plant would generate 2000 MW of power.
Soon, “significant events” taking place during construction and commissioning of a nuclear plant will also have to be reported to Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The board is devising a system similar
We are appalled at the police repression unleashed on the people protesting peacefully against the Koodankulam nuclear plant. The repression has forced them to take to a jal satyagraha. (Letters)
Of 17 recommendations of AERB, only six have been complied with, he says The safety measures recommended by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) are crucial and the Kudankulam nuclear power plant should not be allowed to be commissioned without implementing these measures, argued counsel Prashant Bhushan in the Supreme Court on Thursday. Appearing for petitioner G. Sundararajan, social activist, he submitted before a Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra that the AERB had recommended 17 safety measures, of which only six were complied with and 11 yet to be put in place.
Even as protests continue at Kudankulam, sources here said the Government had for the first time agreed to allow an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team to conduct safety review of two atomic power plants located in Rajasthan. “Public confidence has to be built by transparency. We are getting legislation to strengthen regulatory bodies and as a related measure the IAEA’s Operational Safety Review Team [OSART] will visit Rajasthan in November. India will study its report and take on board suggestions. The Government’s position is that more needs to be done on safety aspects,’’ added the sources.
IAEA’s operational safety review team (OSART) will visit India for the first time towards the end of October to review the safety of third and fourth units of Rajasthan’s atomic power stations, said chairman
As questions continue to be raised about the independence and effectiveness of the regulatory structure for atomic energy, India will soon ask the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for a peer review
KOLKATA, 19 SEPT: Protests against the nuclear plant at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu have reached Kolkata, with health and environment experts speaking out against India's development of nuclear energy.
S P Udayakumar, coordinator of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), who had gone underground on September 11, resurfaced in Koothankuli village in Tamil Nadu today and addressed the media where he declared the people of Idinthakarai would lay siege to the nuclear power plant in Kudankulam. Udayakumar, who has been issued a non-bailable arrest warrant, said a decision would be taken on laying siege to the plant tomorrow at a meeting at Idinthikarai, according to a statement issued by PMANE.
New Delhi, 18 Sept: A team of global nuclear watchdog IAEA will visit Rajasthan in November to conduct an in-depth operational safety review of two atomic power plants there, the first such exercise post-Fukushima
